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How it all started
In 1989 Mark and Helen Johnson were asked to write a short nativity musical by the headteacher of the primary school where Helen was teaching. 'Off To Bethlehem' was a huge success and within months Mark and Helen were given the opportunity of leaving their jobs to explore and develop their gift in writing music. It was with a deep breath and a big step of faith that Mark and Helen went on to set up their own publishing and production company as a vehicle for distributing their songs to primary schools.
What’s in a name?
Helen recalls: 'Whilst reading the story about Noah and the flood, I was impressed by the task set before Noah - to fill the ark with "every creature that has the breath of life in it". What sparked our imagination was the notion of somehow containing the colour, energy, beauty and diversity of created life in a unique vessel, with a view to then releasing it into the next generation. This powerful image was to become our inspiration and the motivation for all our songs going into schools. Like Noah, we see our job as capturing and preserving all that is good - the breadth and diversity of life and the world around us - and passing it on through the medium of music'.
Small beginnings…
What began with only a tiny desk under the stairs, has grown over eighteen years to become a thriving business, which now supplies over 14,000 primary schools (not to mention nurseries, churches, theatre groups, churches etc!) across the UK and countless others around the world. With a new showroom and office facilities in Surrey, England, and with associate offices in Australia and New Zealand 'Out Of The Ark' is reaching out to the corners of the earth with good, positive songs, that everyone will enjoy.
Inspiration
Out of the Ark Music was born out of a passionate belief that
children deserve the very best.
Good songs leave a lasting impression and contain huge potential to
make a difference to our lives. The importance of music and the arts
cannot be emphasised enough and, though often overlooked, they are a
vital part of our children's education.
Our goal is...
- To enhance and expand children's enjoyment of music and the world around them by producing songs that are thought provoking, relevant and most of all great fun to sing.
- To produce top quality materials to give today's children music which excites them and to which they can readily relate.
- To teach about music using traditional methods i.e. by providing strong melodies, interesting song structures and clever rhymes and combining these with modern musical arrangements.
- To preserve the best of our musical and literary heritage whilst embracing modern styles and instrumentation.
- To write good positive songs that re-enforce self-worth and significance and that are appropriate to children’s experience.
- To convey truth and teach about Christian values and faith.
- To make all our resources completely teacher-friendly and to support our customers through excellent customer service.
A Shared Vision
After 18 years and over 300 songs Mark and Helen are still enthusiastic about writing and are keen to develop the potential that music has in the context of education and beyond. They receive hundreds of wonderful letters and phone calls each year from those who have caught the vision and share the enthusiasm.